Herman R. Beardsley (July 21, 1800 – March 9, 1878) was a Vermont attorney and judge who served as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.
Biography[edit]
Herman Ruggles Beardsley[1] was born in Kent, Connecticut on July 21, 1800, the son of Ephraim Beardsley and Hannah (Berry) Beardsley.[2] Ephraim Beradsley's family moved to Grand Isle, Vermont in the early 1800s, and his son was educated by private tutors, including Asa Lyon.[2] He studied at the University of Vermont, and read law with Bates Turner, Asa Aldis, and John Smith of St. Albans.[2] Beardsley was admitted to the bar in 1825,[3] and practiced in St. Albans.[2] In addition to serving in local offices including justice of the peace,[4] in 1834, Beardsley was elected to Vermont's governor's council, and he served until 1835.[1] In 1837, the University of Vermont awarded him the honorary degree of Master of Arts.[5] Beardsley represented St. Albans in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1848.[6]
In 1865, Beardsley was appointed to the Vermont Supreme Court, filling the Associate Justice's position left vacant by the resignation of Asa O. Aldis.[2] He served for only a few months, and was not a candidate for appointment to a full term.[2] He was succeeded on the court by William C. Wilson.[7]
Family[edit]
Beardsley was married to Abigail S. Webb (1808-1874), the stepdaughter of Bates Turner.[2] They were the parents of three daughters and one son.[2]
Death and burial[edit]
Beardsley died in St. Albans on March 9, 1878.[2] He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Journal of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont (1834), p. 9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Memorial Sketch of Herman R. Beardsley, pp. 310–313.
- ^ The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, p. 94.
- ^ Journal of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont (1846), p. 247.
- ^ History of Vermont, Natural, Civil and Statistical, p. 152.
- ^ The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, p. 331.
- ^ Men of Vermont Illustrated, p. 184.
Sources[edit]
- Hemenway, Abby Maria (1871). The Vermont Historical Gazetteer. Vol. 2. Burlington, VT: A. M. Hemenway.
- Sowles, Edward A. (October 21, 1890). Memorial Sketch of Herman R. Beardsley in Proceedings of the Vermont Bar Association. Vol. II, 5. Barre, VT: Thomas H. Cave, Book and Job Printer.
- Thompson, Zadock (1842). History of Vermont, Natural, Civil and Statistical. Burlington, VT: Chauncey Goodrich.
- Ullery, Jacob G. (1894). Men of Vermont Illustrated. Brattleboro, VT: Transcript Publishing Company. p. 184.
- Vermont General Assembly (1834). Journal of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont. Rutland, VT: William Fay.
- Vermont General Assembly (1846). Journal of the General Assembly of the State of Vermont. Windsor, VT: Bishop & Tracy.